Saturday, July 16, 2016

What Makes Lead So Dangerous?

If you’ve followed the news lately, you’ve probably heard a lot of talk about the dangers of lead contamination.

While you might think the news media often sensationalizes or exaggerates stories, this isn’t one of those cases. Lead is bad news.

If you aren’t careful, you and your children could become exposed to it — even in the comfort of your own home. And make no mistake — such exposure can be very dangerous for your family’s health.

But you may not know everything you need to know about this dangerous metal found in products all around you. So, I think it’s time we explored the topic of lead and how you can make sure you never have to deal with the consequences of lead contamination.

Our Relationship with Lead

Lead is a naturally occurring element found in the earth’s crust. It was once used commonly in gasoline, paint, and children’s toys. It’s still used in batteries, pottery, roofing materials, ammunition, cosmetics, and plumbing.

It’s hard to avoid inhaling or ingesting lead. And because the metal mimics the way calcium is absorbed in the body, it’s difficult for the body to recognize it as toxic. Because of this, lead courses through the blood, attaching itself to the soft tissues of the liver, kidneys, and the brain. It settles into bones and teeth where it can remain stored for decades.

Until recently, children were identified as having a concerning level of blood lead if the test result was 10 or more micrograms per deciliter. Now, experts use a new level – 5 micrograms per deciliter.

This new, lower value indicates that more children will likely be identified as having lead exposure which allows parents, doctors, public health officials, and communities to take action to reduce future exposure to lead.

In recent years, federal funding for detecting and removing lead has been slashed. Local governments are often unable to find money in their budgets to fight lead exposure.

This makes very little sense to health experts and even economists. There are considerable social costs of a large proportion of young children who are exposed to high levels of lead. They can range from lost tax revenue to increased health care and education expenses that run into tens of billions of extra dollars a year.

Children living at or below the poverty line who live in older housing may be at increased risk for lead exposure. Children of minority groups are also disproportionately affected by lead.

Exposure to lead is not something that only affects you temporarily, either. A high concentration of lead in the blood can lead to lead poisoning.

Effects of Lead Poisoning

Lead exposure is at its worst when it comes to children.

Put simply, children are nearer to the ground, where soil and dust laced with lead can accumulate. They’re more likely to put objects and their fingers in their mouths that may be coated in lead particulates.

Because children’s nervous systems are still developing, they may be far more susceptible to lead’s dangerous effects. Kids under the age of 6 are thought to absorb far more lead in proportion to their size than older kids or adults do.

The Washington Post has published many stories on lead. In one story about its effects on society, a reporter said:

“Studies have shown that children exposed to lead have reduced potential for lifetime achievement and increased risk of social and behavioral problems. Some epidemiologists report evidence that lead’s effects on children can remain undetected for decades until psychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia, emerge. Others have attributed impulsive and antisocial behavior and juvenile delinquency to lead exposure.”

In adults, high levels of exposure – those typically found in the workplace, like construction sites or recycling plants – can be equally severe. One expert quoted in the Washington Post said lead could, “affect fertility and sexual function, interfere with kidney function, cause muscle aches, and possibly act as a carcinogen.”

If you have been exposed to lead, the first course of action is to get away from it at all costs. Depending on how much you were exposed to, avoiding it may ease the negative effects.

In cases where someone has been exposed to far too much lead, they may be required to undergo chelation therapy, a treatment used to remove heavy metals from the blood.

How to Prevent Lead Exposure

With all these negative health effects, you must be eager to find out how to avoid lead at all costs. The obvious goal of all this is to prevent lead exposure to children before they ever come into contact with it.

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I maintain the academic record of all students and plans and implements the registration process for classes, I also works with other administrators to coordinate times and locations for class meetings and resolve scheduling conflicts.